49 Afghans Killed After UK Data Breach, Says Report

A new study has revealed that 49 relatives or colleagues of Afghans whose personal data was leaked by the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) were killed as a result of the exposure.

According to the research, among the 231 Afghans who received official notification from the MoD that their information had been compromised, 49 reported that a family member or associate had been killed following the data breach. The findings were presented to the UK Parliament’s Defence Committee.

The study, part of a review titled the Afghan Data Breach and Resettlement Schemes, found that around 87 per cent of respondents had received threats against themselves or their families. Additionally, 43 per cent said they had been directly threatened, while 52 per cent reported that family members or friends in Afghanistan had been threatened by the Taliban.

Olivia Clark, executive director of the Refugee Legal Support organisation, which conducted the study in collaboration with researchers from Lancaster and York universities, said that the research exposes the catastrophic human consequences of the Ministry of Defence data breach.

She added that the UK government must act urgently to protect those affected, accelerate relocation applications, and facilitate the transfer of individuals whose lives are at risk.

Details of nearly 19,000 Afghans who had applied for relocation to the UK after the Taliban takeover in 2021 were mistakenly exposed by a British official in February 2022.

Following the breach, a special court order was issued to prevent further publication of the data, which remained in effect until July this year.

Earlier, The Daily Telegraph reported that more than 200 former Afghan soldiers and police officers were killed as a result of the data leak.

A former member of the Afghan National Army who took part in the study told The Guardian that the delay between discovering the data breach in 2023 and informing them in July 2025 is deeply concerning and unacceptable.

He added that immediate notification could have allowed them to take protective measures earlier. ”The delay shows negligence and a lack of responsibility within the Ministry of Defence,” he said.

In further evidence submitted to the Defence Committee, a volunteer worker assisting at-risk Afghans said they became aware of the breach on 13 August 2023 and reported it to the MoD, but received no response until tagging a ministry official in a social media post on 21 August.

The volunteer claimed that British officials made “poor prioritisation decisions” during the evacuation, choosing to evacuate farmers, barbers, and gardeners ahead of Afghan special forces members who faced greater risk from the Taliban.

Another Afghan based in the UK described the MoD’s delay in safeguarding sensitive information as “a reckless failure and a betrayal of trust.”